


House of M Holiday

by bastard_birb



Category: Marvel, Marvel (House of M)
Genre: Be gentle, But so is Pietro, Erik Lehnsherr Being a Drama Queen, F/M, Family Drama, First complete fic I've done, Fluff, Holiday not listed, Humor, I'm doing my best, Like father like son, Luna is having none of her dad's shit, M/M, family nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-31 17:46:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21450214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bastard_birb/pseuds/bastard_birb
Summary: Basically a no-powers AU where Erik is trying to make up for lost time with his family. It goes about as well as you'd expect. Some drama, some fluff, some delicious baked goods... So something for everyone.Please excuse all spelling and grammar errors. I didn't have this looked over.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Kate Bishop/Tommy Shepherd, Pietro Maximoff/Rogue, Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	House of M Holiday

This was the third time Erik had gone through their entire house to clean in less than 24 hours. He was anxious about tonight, seeing as the whole family was getting together to attempt to have a decent family dinner. That meant his children and grandchildren would be coming. Everything had to look perfect. Charles had spent the better part of the day trying to calm Erik and convince him that everything was fine. It finally worked and he got Erik to sit down for a few minutes.  
  
“I don’t see why you have to get so worked up, Erik. It’s just dinner.” Erik gave him a look. “Just dinner? Charles, it might as well be a national event. You know how rarely we have everyone here at the same time. Besides, the twins and I still aren’t on the best of terms.”  
  
Erik seemed to deflate and sink into the couch, worry showing on his tired face. Charles wheeled himself closer and grabbed his husband’s hand, giving it a light squeeze.  
  
“I know things with Pietro and Wanda have been less than ideal, but you need to give them time. You’ve only been back in their lives for a few years, Erik. They’re still hurt and upset, but they’ll come around.”  
  
Charles hoped he was right, not just for Erik’s sake but for the whole family. It had mostly been Billy and Tommy coming around, sometimes bringing their cousin Luna with them. Wanda came over more often than Pietro, but less than her children. She wanted to know more about her father and why he wasn’t there to raise them, while her brother was still a bit angry. Pietro had more or less tolerated Erik, and though there was less blunt anger now it was still lingering beneath the surface.  
  
“So long as we all walk out of here with no injuries I’ll count that as a successful night.” Charles let out a small sigh. “At least Raven will be here to help act as another responsible adult. Marie’s also coming with.” That put a smile on Erik’s face. “How’d you convince Raven to come? I thought she was ‘too busy’?” Charles smirked. “I just told her you were being a drama queen. She wanted to see it for herself.” Erik pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered incoherently. “Goddamnit, Charles…” “Oh, shut up. You love me.”  
  
The doorbell ringing got their attention before they had the chance to argue further. Erik stood to go open it, sincerely hoping that Raven wasn’t the first to show up. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans for today. Raven stood in front of him, smiling and looking surprisingly casual for once. Marie stood next to her, bright smile on her face. She moved to hug Erik first.  
  
“Erik! I’m so glad you invited mom and I. It’s so good to see you.” He hugged her back, chuckling at her enthusiasm. “It’s delightful to see you too, Marie.” “Rogue,” she said as she pulled away. Erik gave her a confused look. “Since when are you going by that old nickname?” She chuckled. “Since always!” Raven chimed in, smile turning into a smirk. “You’ll have to forgive him, honey. Erik’s an old man now and he forgets things.” Erik scoffed. “Said the pot.” “Shut up, kettle.”  
  
Rouge looked into the house and spotted Charles, who only shrugged at the scene. He was already too used to Erik and Raven’s antics. Rouge stepped into the house to greet him while Erik and Raven shared a laugh and hugged.  
  
“It really is good to see you two. I’m sorry I can’t make it here more often.” Erik squeezed her hand. “I know your work is important. I don’t want to take that away from you, but we do miss having you around.”  
  
Raven smiled. Every time she came to the house she felt at home. Maybe it was because of how close she was to Erik and Charles. Maybe it was because they wanted her around so much. Either way, she always walked into the house like she belonged there. According to Erik and Charles, she did. Raven linked her arm with her friend’s and walked inside.  
  
“So I heard you were being dramatic today,” she started. Erik rolled his eyes. “I’m not being dramatic. Just… maybe a little anxious about the fact that we’re all going to be in one place at the same time.” Raven patted his arm sympathetically. “You worry too much, Erik. It’ll all be fine, promise.”  
  
Erik let out an exhausted sigh, not exactly comforted by her words. Raven meant well, but there was no telling what would happen once everyone was gathered.  
  
Raven and Rogue had settled in quickly, catching up with Erik and Charles before everyone else arrived. Wanda was next to stop by, the twins in tow along with their significant others. Billy and Tommy immediately gravitated to Erik, embracing him with smiles on their faces. Wanda couldn’t help but be delighted by the sight.  
  
“Hey, gramps,” Tommy asked, leaning close to loudly whisper to Erik. “You still got a stash of desserts somewhere?” Billy put on his best puppy eyes to ensure Erik would give in. He looked from Wanda, who had gone to chat with Rogue, back to the boys. “Upper left corner of the pantry,” he murmured. “I’ve got muffins and some coffee cake.” Tommy grinned like a mad man and Billy silently celebrated before the two made a quiet dash to the kitchen. Kate shook her head and Teddy laughed.  
  
“You’re such an enabler,” Kate teased. Erik shrugged. “I’m their grandfather. I’m pretty sure it’s required of me to spoil them.” He welcomed the two of them with open arms, giving Kate a fist bump (they hadn’t made it to hugging yet) and Teddy a handshake. Erik was still a bit wary, only wanting the best for his grandkids. Charles thought he was overdramatic, insisting that Teddy and Kate were incredible. There was still the obligatory ‘hurt my grandson and I’ll fling you into the sun’ talk, but for the most part Erik had calmed down. Kate had taken that talk very well, firing back her own version of it. Erik was admittedly impressed. Teddy had replied with a ‘yes sir’, and had been saved by Billy, who told his boyfriend that Erik was crazy and only talking nonsense. Charles had laughed at that and there was a shortage of baked goods for the following month.  
  
Kate looped her arm with Teddy’s and began leading him to the kitchen. “C’mon, Teddy, we better get our boys under control before they stuff themselves and leave none for us.” Teddy nodded in agreement. “I’ve had Erik’s food before. I’ll be amazed if they’ve left us crumbs.” The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, where a hushed argument for the right to certain goods began.  
  
After giving her children time to properly greet their grandfather Wanda moved to pull Erik aside. Charles watched them curiously, not liking the look on Wanda’s face. “Eri- Dad… I need to talk to you about something.” “Is everything alright?” Wanda let out a deep breath. “It’s Pietro. I know he won’t talk to you about this, but someone has to.” Erik gave her a concerned look, waiting for her to continue.  
  
“Pietro… He’s been having some problems with Crystal. They’re doing their best to keep it all from Luna… Just don’t take it personally if he’s on edge when he comes over.” Erik sighed, taking his daughter’s hands. “I’m prepared for him to be angry with me. It’s nothing new right now. All I want to know is that he’ll be alright and that Luna is doing well.” Wanda nodded. “He’s already met someone else. She makes him happy. That’s all I know,” she said with a look on her face. Erik tilted her head so she’d look up at him. “Your brother will tell us about her when he’s ready. I know you don’t like him keeping secrets from you… But given the circumstances I think he’s earned that bit of privacy.” Wanda seemed to relax a bit at his words.  
  
At least until there was a loud crash and shouting from the kitchen. Charles, Rogue, and Raven were the first to get up and investigate, followed closely by Erik and Wanda. What they found was nothing short of a mess. Billy had his hand on a muffin, which was stuffed half way into Tommy’s mouth. Teddy was holding Billy up in his arms, seemingly trying to pull him away from his brother. Kate was standing between the twins, one hand pushing against each of their faces. All of them stared at the gathered crowd like a group of deer in headlights. In the middle of the floor in front of them was a large empty container that once held roughly a dozen desserts.  
  
“What the hell happened here?” Charles asked, looking at the scene with a mix of horror and curiosity. Tommy started talking with his mouth full of muffin, but abruptly stopped after Kate gave him a look. Teddy looked a bit embarrassed. “We can explain,” he said, staring at Charles and Erik. “I don’t think you can,” the two said in unison. Rogue moved away from the kitchen, barely managing to stifle her laughter at the scene. Raven patted Wanda’s shoulder as she let out a tired sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You let them raid your pantry,” she stated in Erik’s direction.  
  
“They do this every time they come over. I don’t know why this is surprising.” Erik crossed his arms and stared down the four teens still frozen in his kitchen. They slowly began to break apart, with Billy keeping and eating half of the muffin that didn’t end up in his brother’s mouth.  
  
“Alright, everyone out of the kitchen,” Charles commanded. “And no swiping at the rest of the food!” He moved away and back towards the living room. Wanda and Raven followed suit. The teens dragged their feet on their way out (after Teddy set the now empty pastry container on the counter), lingering to smell the rest of the food cooking in the oven and on the stove. Erik managed to shoo them out the rest of the way with a look and threats of a diminished pastry supply. He set to work checking on the food and making adjustments to the spices.  
  
Everyone else set themselves up on the couches, Billy and Tommy pointedly not looking at their mother. It was Rogue who ended up breaking the silence. “Don’t know why you can’t just be subtle about your dessert addiction,” she chided with a smirk.  
  
“But it’s not just any dessert, Rogue! It’s gramps’ stuff,” Tommy defended. “The man might be as grumpy as they come, and maybe a little crazy, but his food always tastes like it was plucked from God’s personal buffet.” Billy nodded in agreement, and both boys jumped in their seats at the sound of Erik’s voice coming from the kitchen.  
  
“I can still hear you from here!” he called out, mild annoyance spilling into his voice.  
  
“Oh, don’t be such a bitch!” Raven shouted back, making a face when Charles shook his head at her. “What? You, more than anyone here, know how true that is.” “That doesn’t mean it needs to be said out loud, Raven.”  
  
“I swear, I’ll stop cooking altogether and make you suffer the disasters that Charles makes!” Erik came out of the kitchen, arms crossed and pouting. The kids and Rogue all gasped. “You wouldn’t dare,” Rogue hissed. Charles only kept making faces, though he couldn’t argue against his own disaster cooking. No one had forgotten The New Year’s Incident of 2015™. Erik nearly had a stroke at the sight of his kitchen after Charles and Raven were finished with it. They’d ordered some pizza and tossed out the burned mess.  
  
A firm knock at the door startled all of them into silence once again. Since Erik was standing he was the one to go answer the door. He was immediately greeted by a small figure jumping forward and wrapping their arms around his waist. “Grandpa!”  
  
A smile crossed Erik’s features and he let out a startled chuckle, reaching down to gently ruffle his granddaughter’s hair. “Hello, Luna. It’s good to see you, too.” His gaze moved back up to the man standing behind her. “Hello, Pietro,” he greeted formally. “Erik,” Pietro replied. The two of them were more or less civil with each other right now, but there were still tense moments between the father and son. Wanda had been more open to Erik being in her life, and while her twin was making an effort it was still a slow going process. Nevertheless, Erik was thankful for the bit of progress that was made. At least they were past the point of silently glaring at each other.  
  
“Both of you, please come in.” Erik stepped aside to let Pietro in as Luna walked with him, arms still wrapped around her grandfather’s waist. Pietro nodded, stepping inside the house as Erik pried Luna’s arms off of him. “Why don’t you go say hello to everyone else,” Erik urged, nudging her along to the living room. Luna gave one last look to her father, something odd passing between Pietro and his daughter that Erik couldn’t name, before smiling at the two older men and taking off to greet the rest of the family.  
  
“Crystal sends her regards,” Pietro finally says once he’s sure Luna is out of hearing range.  
  
Erik lets out a huff. “Were they dipped in poison?” That gets the corners of Pietro’s mouth to twitch into a shadow of a smile. It’s the most positive emotion Erik’s gotten out of his son in months. He decides to let a small chuckle out, hoping to show Pietro that things didn’t need to be so tense. That was proving to be difficult given that Erik and Pietro still had a very… awkward relationship. Wanda and Charles tried to mediate as best they could, but there was only so much they could do to help the two men get along. They could, however, at least be civil towards each other when the need for it arose.  
  
“Come on, then,” Erik motioned for Pietro to come further into his home. “I’m sure you’re eager to see everyone else.” Pietro nodded and followed silently. It wasn’t until he spotted his sister that he uttered another word.  
  
Erik excused himself to check on the food again, and Pietro let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Wanda noticed immediately and pulled her twin aside. She’d always been very perceptive of her brother’s behavior and moods. Today was no different.  
  
“Are you alright? You seem a bit… anxious.”  
  
Pietro waved off her concern. “It’s nothing. Just feels weird to be in this house… around Him.”  
  
Wanda took a deep breath, looking up at her brother with nothing but love and concern. “It’s more than that. I know things are still tense with Erik, but I can tell this is something more. Is it Crystal?” She saw Pietro’s jaw tense at the mention of his ex’s name. The two hadn’t separated on good terms, but tried to keep things calm between them for Luna’s sake. It was still a work in progress.  
  
“Things are as calm as they’re going to get with her right now. But… It’s just the other woman I met. Luna’s been asking about her and I have no idea how to bring her up, let alone bring her around everyone else.”  
  
Wanda let out a small laugh at her brother’s dilemma. “You poor thing,” she said, sympathetically patting his arm. “You know we won’t scare her away. Well… Erik and Raven might… but the rest of us can be nice.” That got her brother to crack a smile. “Thanks. I think I’ll give it another week or two; maybe start by making introductions with Luna.” Wanda looped her arm with him and brought him to see everyone else, whispering encouragement to him to keep him smiling. He had a lovely grin.  
  
Pietro was greeted with hugs from his nephews, and either a handshake or a nod from everyone else. It thrilled him to see his family, especially with Luna spending time with her cousins. Another shock came in the form of seeing Raven and Rogue among the crowd. Rogue had given him a small smile and wave while Raven looked between them suspiciously but resisted saying anything.  
  
Moments later Erik called them all to the table, stating that the food was ready. Billy, Tommy, Teddy, Kate, and Luna nearly trampled over each other on their way to the large dining room table. The kids all took their places on one side of the table, with Luna seated between the two couples. Everyone else took their time as Erik brought out the food on serving plates. Tommy held his fork at the ready, practically drooling at the sights and smells of his grandfather’s food. Kate patted his shoulder, murmuring “Settle, Tommy. No one’s going to take your food from you.” Tommy nearly whined. “It just looks so good…”  
  
Erik chuckled, showing a small smile at Tommy’s enthusiasm. He noted that the other kids had similar, albeit less menacing, looks on their faces. “Alright, you animals,” he started, not without a hint of affection. “Serve yourselves and don’t make a mess.” He moved to pour some drinks while everyone served themselves. Billy and Tommy locked eyes as they both reached for the same bread roll, having an argument entirely through eye contact. Both boys flinched when Wanda cleared her throat and shot a stern look at them. Luna rolled her eyes, grabbed her knife, and carefully split the bread roll in half for her cousins. Pietro beamed with a bit of pride. 

After the food was doled out the table broke out in light conversation. Erik was more or less quiet and content to just observe his family from where he sat at the head of the table. To his left were Charles, Raven, Rogue, Pietro, and Wanda. At his right sat Kate, Tommy, Luna, Billy, and Teddy. The smiles working over most of their faces was something of a miracle to see. It wasn’t a regular occurrence that they all got together for an extended period of time without some sort of nonsense causing a fight.

Raven laughed as Kate recounted how Erik had once threatened both her and Teddy when he found out they were dating his grandchildren. Erik let out a small groan of annoyance and rubbed at his temples. “Are you still on that?”

“You shouldn’t worry so much about that, Kate. I’ve known Erik for a very long time, so I can confidently say that he won’t do shit.” Charles lightly reprimanded her for her language as Kate smirked. “He likes to be dramatic and scary, though in reality he’s a big softie.”

Teddy spoke up around his drink. “The man threatened to fling me into the sun,” he deadpanned. “He looked pretty serious about doing it, too.”

Rogue waved off Teddy’s concerns. “Erik always looks serious! I’m pretty sure I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen him actually laugh or crack a genuine smile. He’s just got a severe case of resting bitch face,” she added with a little smile in Erik’s direction.

“You’re all a bunch of assholes,” he grumbled with no real heat behind his words. 

“But are they wrong?” Everyone turned to Charles, trying not to laugh as Erik glared at his husband while the man sipped at his wine.

“You know what, Charles?”

“I’m sure I do.”

Billy pretended to wipe a tear from his eye and sniffled for added effect. “True love really is a beautiful thing.” Teddy hid a laugh behind one hand and used the other to poke his boyfriend in the ribs.

“Speaking of love,” Luna started. “Dad has a girlfriend.” She smiled excitedly, both thrilled that her dad had seemed happier in the past few months and happy to share the news.

Pietro nearly choked on a piece of steak before managing to swallow it. “Luna… who told you that?” He very obviously avoided looking at anyone else at the table but his daughter.

She gave her father a look, one that was definitely similar to one of Erik’s. She was his granddaughter, alright. “Dad, I’m 12 not stupid. This is the happiest I’ve seen you since you and mom split. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I’m happy for you, but I don’t know why you don’t want her to come around us.”

Rogue started to blush lightly, but it seemed that only Raven and Charles noticed. The two old friends shared a brief look before glancing at Erik, who either hadn’t noticed any of this or was just trying to be polite.

“I just...” Pietro began. He let out a sigh. “It seemed too soon to bring her around. I wanted to wait a bit longer because I wasn’t sure how you’d all react.” Pietro didn’t have to say it out loud, but the whole table knew he was mostly talking about Erik and his daughter. Pietro wasn’t typically a shy man, but he’d been cautious with introducing this new person in his life to the hot mess that was the group of people related to him.

Apparently, thanks to Luna, this was all happening anyway.

Wanda put a hand on her brother’s shoulder, and didn’t miss the way Rogue stealthily patted Pietro’s thigh. A lightbulb lit up, and she raised an eyebrow at Pietro. She glanced at her niece, who smiled innocently and looked between her aunt and father.

“Pietro, you know we all want you to be happy. I won’t say anything about Crystal, but you also deserve to be happy,” Erik said, surprising the entire table. The air in the room suddenly grew heavy. Pietro cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine.

“I… I appreciate the sentiment, Erik. I just didn’t think that this dinner was an appropriate time to introduce someone new.” Pietro had lost a bit of color on his face. Rogue’s hand had yet to leave its place on his thigh.

“C’mon, Pietro,” chimed in Kate. “If Erik hasn’t killed me or Teddy yet then I’m sure he’ll behave with whatever woman you bring around. Besides, like Raven and Rogue said, the old man’s all talk.” Tommy snorted and tried not to laugh too loudly.

Erik turned and gave Kate a Look. “Kate, don’t test me.” She waved him off. “Oh, please. You’re not gonna do anything.” Charles patted his husband’s arm. “There, there… You know you love everyone at this table and wouldn’t really fling anyone into the sun,” he said gently. “Shut up, don’t touch me,” Erik grumbled, sending most of the table into a small fit of laughter.

“Grandpa, you know Charles is right. You can try your best to look grumpy, but I know for a fact that it’s hard to do so when you gush to your friends about your grandchildren,” Billy added with a raised eyebrow aimed at Raven. For her part she smiled proudly. “What can I say? As the designated best friend I’m in the know about all of this family’s secrets.”

“Even the fact that dad’s secret girlfriend is Rogue?” 

Silence once again plagued the dinner table. Pietro took a strained deep breath, staring wide eyed at Luna’s smiling face. Her expression said she’d known for some time now. Her smile said this was partially an attempt at teaching her father a lesson in being secretive and not trusting of his family.

Sometimes he hated how observant and brutal his own daughter could be.

Rogue was frozen beside him, face getting red and eyes glued to her plate. Wanda looked equal parts surprised and happy. The kids, plus Luna, all looked to each other questioningly before staring back at the adults. Raven had a sly smile on her face; She’d been suspicious for a few weeks now, but had no proof to confirm her suspicions until now. Charles was glancing between Erik and his son, worried that one or both of them would explode at any moment. Erik, oddly enough, was silent. He had a stony look on his face as the tension continued to build around them. Rogue chanced a glance at Erik, thinking she might see him angry. Instead of a shout his voice came out calm and collected. “Rogue. Is this true?”

To avoid answering the question she took her time draining her glass of wine. The silence stretched for a few more moments before Erik spoke up again. “Anna Marie,” he said firmly. Raven turned to also give her daughter a questioning look, though she refrained from saying anything.

Rogue took a deep breath once her wine was finished. This wasn’t how she’d imagined telling everyone, but here they were. Might as well try to make the best of it. “Yes,” she answered softly. “Pietro and I have been seeing each other for a while now. We just didn’t know how to tell all of you, which was why we kept it a secret.”

More silence washed over the entire group. Pietro and Rogue didn’t make eye contact with anyone, but they did look up when Erik moved out of his chair after a few moments of stifling silence. No one said a word as Erik moved from the table to open the little bar in a nearby globe. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey the size of his fist, spun the top open, flicked it away, and proceeded to chug it all straight from the bottle.

“What the hell, Erik?!” Charles shouted. He expected a few different reactions to the news, but nothing like this. Tommy and Kate were softly chanting ‘chug, chug, chug’ as Erik drained the whiskey. Billy and Wanda were alarmed while Teddy, Luna, and Raven looked impressed.

“Stop shouting, Charles,” Erik said after the bottle was empty. “I’m pretty sure I actually stroked out and died the last time you made a mess of my kitchen and this has all just been a dream before I succumb to the sweet embrace of death.” Charles stuttered out half formed sentences before giving up and setting his face in his hands.

Raven clapped sarcastically. “Great job. You broke your husband. Only took you a few decades.” Erik just flipped her off and went to go throw out the now empty whiskey bottle. Raven placed a sympathetic hand on Charles’ shoulder. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with his bullshit so often,” she told him gently. 

“Fuck you, Raven!” came a shout from the kitchen. Erik reappeared looking a bit more intoxicated and slightly betrayed. “Rogue, why didn’t you say anything about this sooner?”

“Because I knew you’d be dramatic as hell about it!” she shouted. “You don’t try to meddle in my love life like mom does-,” Raven let out an indignant gasp but said nothing, “-but you still get weird about things! Look at how you reacted to Billy and Tommy dating. You threatened Kate and Teddy, for fuck’s sake.”

“Honestly, we’re past that now,” Kate chimed in. “The old man and I are cool. Not so sure about how he is with Teddy...” Kate raised an eyebrow in the man’s direction.

Teddy shrugged. “I guess for the most part we’re fine. Knowing Erik and how he acts really cleared a few things up about Billy. A lot of things started to make sense after I spent more time around this place.” Billy looked over at his boyfriend in mild shock.

“Are you implying there’s something wrong with me?!”

“No, babe, I’m implying that there’s several things wrong with your grandpa.”

“... Yeah, okay, that tracks.”

Erik pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. Goddamn kids… “Can we please get back to the matter at hand?”

“I’d really like it if we didn’t,” Pietro grumbled.

Luna rolled her eyes at her father. “This was going to happen one way or another. This way the band-aid has been ripped off and now we can talk things out like adults.”

“How the hell are you the mature one here?” asked Tommy.

“Look who we’re related to. Someone has to be the grown up around here.”

Pietro abruptly stood up, sending a glare in his father’s direction. “This is EXACTLY what I was afraid was going to happen. Of course you’d be the one to make such a fucking big deal about this!”

“Oh, I’m making a big deal about this? You’re the one who was keeping this from all of us like it was some nuke of a secret! Your own daughter figured it all out before you mustered up the courage to say anything!”

Wanda, who hadn’t said a word this entire time, couldn’t help but look between her father and brother as they argued. For two people who had such a hard time getting along it was amazing to see how alike they really were when in the same room for too long. As she kept looking between them their arguing got louder. She could see Rogue wearing a similar expression to the one Charles had. Honestly, these parallels were astonishing when seen from the outside.

“Just who the hell do you think you are to put yourself into my business?!” Pietro shouted.

“I’m not getting into your business! I just want to know what you’re doing with your life! Is it honestly so hard to believe that as your father I just want to know more about you?!”

“Five years ago I didn’t even know you existed! Five years ago you were nothing and no one to me! You’re barely anything now-!”

“_**PIETRO!!**_”

All eyes turned to Wanda, who was slightly red in the face. She knew Erik hadn’t raised them, but he was still part of their family. Despite his faults she felt that Erik could be privy to a few details of their lives. He was trying, and Pietro blocking him at every turn wasn’t helping.

“That’s enough from both of you,” Wanda said firmly, her voice taking on an eerie calmness that her sons knew very well. Tommy sank a bit in his seat while Billy held onto Teddy’s hand, both boys thankful that their mother’s anger wasn’t directed at them.

Pietro opened his mouth to speak, but Wanda put a hand up to stop him. “You’re not making this any better for anyone. Luna shared this because she was happy for you. The rest of us have wanted to know because we see that Rogue makes you happy.” Speaking of, Rogue looked up at Wanda and locked eyes with the other woman. “Yes,” Wanda continued, “this is a little bit of a shock, but it’s not like we’re upset by the news. Maybe some of us reacted a bit… dramatically… but that doesn’t mean we aren’t happy for you.” Rogue seemed to visibly relax at the small smile that Wanda gave her. “Besides, I’m pretty sure everyone here already loves Rogue.”

Pietro briefly glanced at his sister before going back to glare at Erik. The old man returned the look, locking both of them in a staring contest.

Raven was the one to break the silence and make them both blink. “For fuck’s sake, will you two just get over yourselves already? This honestly turned into the best case scenario and you idiots want to make a big deal about it. Can’t you just hug it out like a normal family?” At the thought of that both Erik and Pietro visibly cringed.

“Raven, in case you haven’t noticed we’re not exactly a normal family. At best we’re a bunch of idiots who tolerate each other until someone starts shouting,” Erik explained.

“For once I have to agree with Erik,” Pietro said, crossing his arms.

“I’m sorry, one of us must have just suffered a massive stroke. Did you say that you agree with me on something?”

“Don’t push it, old man,” Pietro warned.

Luna smiled at her father. “See? You should’ve told them sooner, then grandpa wouldn’t have freaked out about it.”

“Honestly, his freak out was one of the best parts of this dinner,” Kate chimed in, popping a bit of potato into her mouth. “We got a free show tonight and no one needed to call the cops. I count that as a win for this group.”

“Your optimism knows no bounds,” Teddy deadpanned.

“You’re just mad because Billy nearly crushed your hand when Wanda was being scary.”

Billy flushed a bit and quickly let go of Teddy’s hand while the other gently flexed and stretched out his fingers. “Don’t worry, babe, I’m fine,” Teddy murmured to his concerned boyfriend.

“Either way,” said Rogue, “I’m glad the cat’s out of the bag. Now we can skip right past the awkward meet-the-family phase.”

“So now we go straight to telling you embarrassing stories and poking fun of you and uncle Pietro?” Tommy asked hopefully.

Pietro rolled his eyes but Rogue laughed. “Yeah, guess so. Now,” she said to Erik. “Quit being so damn extra and come sit down with your family.”

After one final eye roll and dramatic glare Erik went back to his seat. “I guess this did turn out for the best,” he grumbled.

Charles nudged him. “Behave, Erik.”

“Make me,” he challenged.

“I swear to God, I’ll divorce you if you keep this up.”

That got a laugh out of Erik. “Charles, please. If you didn’t divorce me when you made that threat 15 years ago, you sure as hell aren’t going to follow through with it now.”

“He’s got you there, grandpa Charles,” said Luna with a giggle. “You’re stuck with this family for life.”

“Luna, you make that sound like torture,” said Charles warily.

Luna shrugged and gestured to the whole table. “Isn’t it?”

“Luna, you’re grounded,” Erik said, gesturing with his fork.

She gasped dramatically, putting on her best puppy eyes. “Grandpa, I thought you loved me?!”

Pietro butted in before Erik could break under Luna’s gaze. “Luna, you’re grounded.” He gave her a firm look when she turned to him with a blank, yet betrayed, face. Pietro almost hated how much his daughter took after Erik. Then again, it was occasionally hilarious and he knew his nephews were the same way. The silver lining was that his sister also had to deal with this nonsense.

Soon after everyone more or less settled back into their seats, attempting to get back the earlier calm atmosphere. They managed to hold onto it until the food was gone and leftovers put away when Billy let out a loud gasp. The adults jumped, preparing for the worst, but just looked confused when a huge grin spread across Billy’s face.

“Guys, you know what time it is?!”  
“Time for you to get a watch?” Tommy suggested. Billy picked up a throw pillow and hit his brother roughly in the face.

“No, shut up. It’s officially 11:35pm. Which means we managed to last all evening without anyone physically fighting or setting anything on fire!” he shouted excitedly.

Everyone shared equal looks of surprise. This sort of peace, despite it being interrupted earlier during dinner, hadn’t been had since The New Year’s Incident™ when everyone managed to come together and put out the smoldering kitchen.

“See, you said it and now you’ve jinxed it. Now someone has to fight before we all leave,” Rogue explained.

All of the adults glared at each other while the children stood still, ready for action at a moment’s notice. After a few more moments Erik finally let out a long suffering sigh. “Just… for the love of my sanity, don’t break or burn anything.”

Tommy cheered and hit Billy in the face with the same throw pillow he was hit with. Teddy picked up Tommy while Luna jumped on Teddy’s back. Teddy then managed to lead the small group of teens out into the backyard, where more laughing and shouts could be heard.

“Ten bucks says Luna comes out the winner in this,” Pietro piped up.

“No, it’ll be Billy,” Wanda insisted.

“You’re both wrong. Kate can take all of them down,” Rogue said with a proud grin.

A screech and splash cut through their argument. Erik jumped to his feet and rolled up his sleeves. “Goddamnit,” he grumbled. “If you animals are throwing things into my pool I’m going to kick all of your asses and make you scrub my house spotless!”

“On second thought,” Rogue said through giggles as she watched Erik go after the kids, “Maybe Erik will take them all out before a real winner is declared.”

“Should we stop him?” asked Raven, who despite her words made no move to do so.

“No. Let them face the consequences of messing with the pool,” Charles replied calmly. He sipped at his tea, serene and unbothered as shouts and high pitched laughter floated into the house from the backyard. Pietro looked briefly concerned and angry, but Rogue simply grabbed his hand and squeezed to reassure him that all would be fine.

For the remainder of the night, it actually was. Raven, Charles, Rogue, Pietro, and Wanda enjoyed their time talking and drowning out the shouting with some television. In the backyard Erik enjoyed the time he spent with his grandchildren, Kate, and Teddy despite the fact that he was a bit annoyed that someone (probably Billy or Kate) had thrown Tommy into the pool. None of them were genuinely upset by any of this, and in all honesty it was one of the best holidays they’d spent together. Optimism was at a high for the get togethers to come.

It might be a stretch to hope that none of them would fight the next time they gathered.

**Author's Note:**

> All of my Marvel based fics will be based on an RP group that I am a part of. Taken bits for characters from both movies and comics.


End file.
